Stress is an unavoidable fact of modern life, but that doesn’t mean you have to take it sitting or lying down. You can regularly take steps (pun intended!) to relieve stress to prevent it from taking a toll on your physical or emotional health.
Among the very best ways to alleviate stress and anxiety is exercise, which brings a host of other health benefits too.
This isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. From dancing to martial arts to walking, different types of exercise can help relieve stress. In fact, a review of studies in a 2023 issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that various forms of physical activity — including aerobic, resistance training, mixed-mode and mind-body exercises — can improve psychological distress, anxiety and depression in adults.
Trust me. As a certified Spinning and Pilates Reformer class instructor, which I do as a side gig, I can see the difference in my participants after each workout. They routinely leave the studio in a more upbeat mood, looking and feeling more relaxed. But it’s not just them — I personally get the same benefits. Pilates and Spinning regularly help me blow off steam, as well as make me feel strong and empowered both physically and emotionally.
Physical activity can relieve stress in numerous ways, including “by diverting your attention from what you’re anxious about, decreasing muscle tension and building up resources that bolster resilience against stormy emotions,” explains Dr. John Ratey, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of the book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.”
“To maximize the benefits, choose something enjoyable so you will do it repeatedly,” he adds.
[See: 10 Unexpected Signs That You’re Stressed]
9 Stress-Busting Exercises
Here’s a look at great stress-relieving exercises and how they could help you:
— Walking.
— Jogging or running.
— Yoga.
— Pilates.
— Body-weight resistance exercise.
— Swimming.
— HIIT workouts.
— Dancing.
— Martial arts.
Walking
You already know how to walk and can do it anywhere, which makes going for a stroll a super convenient choice.
“If you walk briskly, you’ll elevate your heart rate and body temperature and stimulate the release of endogenous opioids, which takes away some of the feelings of discomfort,” says Thomas Plante, a professor of psychology at Santa Clara University and emeritus professor of psychiatry at Stanford University Medical School. (Endogenous opioids, which are produced in the brain, basically act as the body’s natural painkillers and can stimulate the reward system.)
Plus, walking “can be a contemplative time that allows you to put things in perspective,” Plante adds.
A study in a 2023 issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Pain found that walking for 30 minutes a day for eight weeks improved perceived stress and catastrophizing about pain among people with chronic pain.
Jogging or running
You really can run (or jog) away from stress. A review of research in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that running or jogging at various paces for any distance can improve mood and mental health.
This may be partly because “getting your heart rate up changes brain chemistry, increasing the availability of important anti-anxiety neurochemicals, such as serotonin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and mood-improving endocannabinoids,” Ratey says.
[READ: Mental Health Benefits of Yoga for Men]
Yoga
A mind-body discipline that involves a series of moving and stationary poses and deep breathing, yoga naturally elicits the body’s relaxation response and has been shown to decrease people’s reactivity to stress, according to research.
“Yoga is different from other forms of exercise in that a main focus is on controlling our thoughts and breathing,” says Ashleigh Pona, a licensed psychologist and an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral health at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Yoga has been shown to improve our interoception, our ability to sense internal signals from our body, (as well as) mindfulness, self-compassion and spiritual well-being — all of which can alleviate stress.”
Pilates
Pilates mat training — which focuses on building strength, proper posture, breath control and flexibility, with an emphasis on challenging muscles in the core — can bring similar stress-relieving benefits as yoga. Research has shown that doing Pilates mat training three times a week for 12 weeks is associated with reductions in resting blood pressure among women with normal blood pressure and hypertension. Another body of research has shown that doing Pilates can ease anxiety, while also improving attention and motivation.
What’s more, Pilates mat classes bring together people with common interests, which creates a sense of camaraderie and social support, while allowing you to learn new skills and “develop a sense of mastery” that feels good, Plante notes.
[Vitamins for Stress: Do They Work?]
Body-weight resistance exercise
Taking short, frequent breaks from sitting at your desk to do body-weight resistance exercises — such as planks, push-ups, squats and lunges — can alter “psychobiological responses” to psychological stress, according to research. These changes include reductions in blood pressure and levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol.
Another study found that young adults experienced significant improvement in their anxiety symptoms after they did a basic program of lunges, lifts, squats and crunches — sometimes using dumbbells — twice a week for eight weeks.
Swimming
Whether it’s because the activity requires focused attention, stimulates the release of feel-good brain chemicals like endorphins or being immersed in the comfort of water, swimming can be invigorating while you’re doing it but can leave you in a truly relaxed state afterward.
“The rhythmic nature can have a hypnotic effect, helping you get into a bit of a trance-like state,” Plante says.
If you don’t enjoy swimming, consider doing aqua aerobics or even walking the length of the pool. Various forms of aquatic exercise, including aqua aerobics and swimming, have been found to improve mood and anxiety symptoms, according to research in Frontiers in Psychiatry.
HIIT workouts
High-intensity interval training, also referred to as HIIT for short, is a hot trend in the fitness world — and for good reason. By combining aerobic, anaerobic and strength elements into an efficient workout, HIIT offers a range of health benefits: It gets your heart and blood pumping faster and makes you sweat, but it’s also great for your mental health. Research has shown that it can also help ease stress, improve mood and boost other aspects of your emotional well-being — and possibly improve sleep, as well.
Another study found that doing HIIT or moderate-intensity training at home significantly reduced stress, anxiety and depression and increased resilience among healthy adults during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Dancing
Moving your body to music you like is inherently pleasant, joyful and maybe even cathartic, which is why dancing can be a great way to relieve stress while increasing your heart rate and circulation. Plus, if you dance along with other people, the social aspect brings a sense of belonging and support that can further ease stress and anxiety.
Research published in a 2024 issue of Sports Medicine found that structured dance interventions — including Zumba, ballroom and salsa dancing — are superior to other forms of physical activity to improve mood and reduce distress. In other words, you really can shake it (stress) off.
Martial arts
Taekwondo, tai chi, qigong and other martial arts have been shown to relieve stress and improve subjective well-being among people of various ages. A study in Advances in Physical Education found that participating in 90 minutes of tai chi — a traditional Chinese martial art that focuses on slow, gentle movements and deep breathing — once a week for 16 weeks helped college students manage their stress and anxiety and improve their sleep quality and quantity.
Besides triggering the release of endorphins, martial arts also encourages people to practice controlled breathing techniques, meditation and mindfulness, allowing them to “(focus) on the present moment and things we can control — all of which can reduce stress,” Pona says.
Bottom Line
If you’re wondering which form of physical activity wins the gold medal as the best exercise for stress, the answer is highly individual. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. It’s about finding the right stress-relieving exercises that work for you and suit your physical needs or limitations.
Plus, you don’t need a lot to reap the physical and mental health benefits of these exercises. Even a 10- to 15-minute walk can be very helpful in easing stress. You can also increase the enjoyment factor by exercising to music you enjoy or with a friend.
“The key is to find activities that you like and can sustain,” Plante says.
More from U.S. News
How to Relieve Stress and Calm Your Nerves
10 Unexpected Signs That You’re Stressed
6 Best Breathing Techniques for Anxiety and Stress Relief
Stress-Relieving Exercises to Help You Feel More Relaxed and Empowered originally appeared on usnews.com
